Michael Donnellan, who was at the centre of speculation last week in relation to an incident with a referee in a Galway club game, is injured and will not play for the defending All-Ireland champions in their first championship outing at Ruislip in London on Sunday. Donnellan's injuries were picked up in the controversial game between his club Dunmore and Corofin last Sunday week.
Also absent from the team that won the All-Ireland are Gary Fahy, Kevin Walsh and Tomas Mannion. Galway, nevertheless, have 11 members of the team which started against Kildare last September, as well as another who came on as a sub. The newcomers to the side are right corner back Robert Doyle, full back Damien Mitchell and Tommy Joyce at left half forward.
Trevor Giles and Tommy Dowd are back in the Meath side for Sunday's Leinster championship match against Wicklow in Croke Park on Sunday. Both missed most of the National League campaign, but both made substitute appearances in the semi-final against Cork.
A surprise selection sees Graham Geraghty selected at full forward.
Meath will have two championship debutants - goalkeeper Cormac Sullivan from Stamullen and midfielder Nigel Crawford from Dunboyne.
Paddy Reynolds will figure at right half back after being out of championship action since the summer of 1995, while Evan Kelly will line out at left half forward after missing last year's campaign. Donegal will have two players new to championship fare when they take on Armagh in the Ulster championship in Ballybofey. They are Eamon Reddin from Muff, who plays at left corner back, and Niall McCready from Ballyshannon who comes in at left half back. Otherwise the Donegal team is as expected. Armagh have postponed their selection to await a late fitness test on their crucial player Diarmuid Marsden who has a hamstring strain.
Louth have also postponed their team selection. Ollie McDonnell has a hamstring problem while Colin Kelly is also battling for fitness. Definitely out of the match against Dublin is Aidan O'Neill who has a serious hand injury.
GALWAY (SF v London): M McNamara; R Doyle, D Mitchell, T Meehan; R Silke, J Divilly, S Og de paor; S O Domhnaill, S Walsh; P Clancy, J Fallon, T Joyce; D Savage, P Joyce, N Finnegan.
MEATH (SF v Wicklow): C Sullivan; M O'Reilly, D Fay, C Murphy; P Reynolds, H Traynor, D Curtis; J McDermott, N Crawford; R Magee, T Giles, E Kelly; T Dowd, G Geraghty, O Murphy.
DONEGAL: (SF v Armagh): T Blake;D Diver, M Crossan, E Reddin; N Hegarty, M Coll, N McCready; J Ruane, J McGuinness; J Duffy, A Sweeney, J Gildea; B Roper, T Boyle, B Devenney.
